Earlier this year, I saw a preview for a British comedy that looked like
it would be hilarious if only I could get past the violence, but it was
my brother, who'd never heard of it before, who got to it first. As
soon as he saw it, Nathan declared Hot Fuzz one of the funniest
movies he'd ever seen. So funny that as soon as the DVD hit shelves, he
bought it; last night I watched it with him, and my expectations were
gloriously met.
As someone who strictly avoids horror movies, I never saw Shaun of the Dead, this film's predecessor, but if it's along the same lines - and Nathan assures me it is - I think I'd better check it out. Hot Fuzz is primarily a spoof of action movies, specifically those involving cops, though I detect a strong homage to Lord of the Rings
as well, unless that's just my personal bias showing, though the
discovery of the cameo of Peter Jackson as a man dressed as Santa Claus
seems to strengthen my case.
Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is a
dour, excessively law-abiding copper in London who has gotten so good at
his job that his superiors decide to send him away lest he make the
rest of them look bad. This means going all the way to Sandford, a tiny
town in the country where not much of anything ever seems to happen.
It's won the award for best village for years, and Nick's new boss, the
eccentrically jovial Frank Butterman (Jim Broadbent),
assures him it's quite the safest place in England. That's not such
good news for the talented, disciplined officer, who seems as though
he'll go stir-crazy if he doesn't find something more interesting to do
than chase after rogue swans.
It doesn't help that Frank pairs
him up with his son, good-natured, dim-witted Danny (Nick Frost). Danny
has more questions for his new partner than a child on the first day of
kindergarten, mostly eager inquiries into the more exciting aspects of
Nick's job in London. The nonstop chatter would almost be enough to
drive the taciturn newbie crazy, except that, much like lovable tow
truck Mater in Cars,
Danny seems to be the only one of his new colleagues who doesn't
despise him, and when mysterious deaths begin to arouse Nick's
suspicions, it is Danny who stands by him and tries to crack the case
despite the insistence of most of the townspeople that a double
decapitation, an explosion, a death by church roof and an impalement
with shears over the course of one week are all merely unfortunate
accidents.
The tiny town is littered with colorful characters,
including the obnoxious Andys (Paddy Considine and Rafe Spall), fellow
cops who antagonize Nick as much as possible; the sinister Simon Skinner
(Timothy Dalton), who owns an independent grocery store; Tom Weaver
(Edward Woodward), who's a bit overzealous when it comes to his disdain
for the living statue (Graham Low) who regularly offers his bizarre
performances to passersby; unintelligible Arthur Webley (David Bradley),
who is strangely fond of clipping others' hedges and collecting
volatile weapons; pesky journalist Tim Messenger (Adam Buxton), who's
always eager to put the worst possible spin on every situation; Martin
Blower (David Threlfall), a careless driver, unfaithful husband and
slaughterer of Shakespeare; Lurch-like lug Michael Armstrong (Rory
McCann) and many others.
While the secondary characters are
delightful - and Broadbent, always a treat to watch, is especially
entertaining here thanks to his bizarre delivery and jolly demeanor -
what really drives this movie is the dynamic between straight-laced,
severe yet pitiable Nick, whose closest relationship upon arriving at
Sandford is with his cherished Japanese peace lily, and wide-eyed,
dopey-grinned, fun-loving Danny, who is brimming over with childlike
innocence and enthusiasm. Pegg is entertaining as a generally composed
man who learns from Danny how to loosen up a bit. Their tender scenes
together, accompanied by soft lighting and
Samwise-makes-an-inspirational-speech-style music, are touching, but
Pegg gives his best performance when reacting with aghast incredulity as
he learns the true motivation behind the string of murders.
Frost, meanwhile, perfectly plays one of the most huggable characters
I've ever come across, despite the f-words that occasionally escape his
lips. (The profanity in this movie actually wasn't as bad as I expected,
and a special feature entitled Hot Funk amusingly dubs it for
television.) As the movie progressed, I became increasingly concerned
about Danny's safety, as his death would make a profound impact and
might make sense as the culmination of the first true friendship of
Nick's life. It would both be in keeping with Nick's lousy luck and
might provide the impetus for some climactic heroics. Is Danny indeed
headed for that big doughnut shop in the sky? I won't give that away,
but the fact that a farcical film had me biting my nails in worry over
one of its characters is testament to its genius. Hot Fuzz doesn't just make you laugh; it makes you care.
And scream, if you watch movies the way many people ride roller
coasters: letting out a blood-curdling yowl whenever things seem a bit
dicey. I don't, but my mom does, so while aside from the action-packed
finale, each murder is immediately preceded by the blatantly ominous
appearance of a robed, hooded figure, leaving plenty of time to avert my
eyes, I did jump a few times thanks to my mom's vocal commentary, which
came even though she too had her eyes closed. Suffice it to say that
the deaths are gruesome, and the squeamish are most certainly advised to
ignore the screen for a few key moments, but the vast majority of the
film is perfectly benign, and the laughs and warm - make that hot -
fuzzies render those brief scenes well worth enduring.
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